Fried crawfish tails
Fried seafood has a longstanding tradition along the Gulf Coast. From Beaumont to Brownsville, there are an array of joints close to the water that serve baskets stacked high with…
Author: Lisa Fain
Lisa Fain is a James Beard award-winning writer who loves to cook. A seventh-generation Texan, she was indeed homesick during the two decades she lived in New York City, but the call of home recently brought her back to the Lone Star State. Her work has been featured in many publications, and she is the author of several cookbooks, including her latest,
Queso! Regional Recipes for the World's Favorite Chile-Cheese Dip. Follow her at: Instagram / Twitter / Facebook/ Pinterest
Crawfish queso fundido
Last week was one of adjustments. With limited electricity, water, heat, and other necessities because of the winter storm across Texas, like most, I had to make do with what…
Red lentils with jalapeños and lime
One of my dearest friends recently gave up eating meat. As we were talking about her new lifestyle, I asked if she was enjoying lots of beans. She replied that…
Cheese enchiladas: the essence of Tex-Mex
Tex-Mex is not Mexican food. That’s right, even though many of the restaurants you see across Texas often call themselves Mexican they’re not. But that’s OK. When Diana Kennedy said…
Chili Queens chili
The first time I heard about the San Antonio Chili Queens, I was on a plane. A friend wanted to make a documentary about Tex-Mex, and she showed me her…
Jalapeño dill pickle dip
When a friend set out some snacks for us to enjoy, she pointed to a bowl loaded with chopped pickles and speckled with dill. “This is pickle dip,” she said….
Rice pudding with grapefruit and pecans
In Mary Koock Faulk’s The Texas Cookbook, I came across a side dish that cooked rice with the juice and zest from an orange. Since both are key Texan crops,…
Cabbage with bacon
One day while visiting a friend, we sat in her kitchen and discussed the importance of family recipes. Like me, she has a collection that she’s gathered from her parents…
Green chile pork posole
Last week, I lost my sense of smell. Thankfully, my sense of taste was still functioning, so eating wasn’t completely strange. But everything had only the basic essence of salt,…
Black-eyed peas for New Year’s Day
My first New Year’s Day in New York City, I was panic struck: where was I going to find my annual dose of black-eyed peas? Not having any of the…
